Bidspirit auction | NAPOLEON I: (1769-1821) Emperor of

NAPOLEON I: (1769-1821) Emperor of France 1804-14, 1815. An extremely rare D.S., Nap, one page, oblo... - NAPOLEON I: (1769-1821) Emperor of France 1804-14, 1815. An extremely rare D.S., Nap, one page,  neatly inlaid to a page removed from an album, oblong 4to, Longwood, Saint Helena, 25th November 1817, to the Grand Marechal [Henri Gatien, Comte Bertrand], in French. The manuscript document, the text of which is in the hand of his valet Louis Marchand, is a short list of three expenses which Napoleon gives his approval to pay, stating, in full, `Instruction to pay - 1. November´s Clothes & Dressing 1000 Fr - 2. Wages for the months of October and November 3.450 Fr - 3. November´s House needs 4500 Fr - 8950 Fr´. Letters signed by Napoleon during his exile years at Saint Helena are of extremely rarity. Two very small pinholes to the upper and lower left corners, not affecting the text or signature, VG The present document was signed at Longwood House, Napoleon's residence on the remote island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic. Following his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, the British exiled Napoleon to the island where he was to spend the last years of his life, dying there in 1821. Napoleon refused to send and sign letters from Saint Helena because he considered that, as an Emperor, he should not be subject to censure by the King of Great Britain and although Napoleon dictated his memoirs whilst at Saint Helena, and various other manuscripts were written, documents signed by the fallen Emperor originating from Longwood very rarely appear for sale at auction. Henri Gatien (1773-1844) Comte Bertrand. French General. Gatien had accompanied Napoleon to Elba in 1814, and returned with him in 1815, holding a command in the Waterloo campaign. Following the French defeat, Gatien accompanied Napoleon to Saint Helena and did not return to France until after Napoleon's death. In 1840 he was chosen to accompany the Prince of Joinville to Saint Helena to retrieve and bring Napoleon's remains to France, in what became known as the retour des cendres. Louis-Joseph Marchand (1791-1876) Napoleon Bonaparte´s valet. Marchand remained faithful to the Emperor after his first abdication and followed him to Saint Helena. On Napoleon´s deathbed he was decreed Count. Marchand He took part in the ''Retour des cendres'' (''Return of Napoleon´s ashes'')